The Cook & The Coach Blog - THE COOK AND THE COACH

THE COOK AND THE COACH

Meat Muffins

6/11/2013

These were amazing, incredible, delicious….and so easy. They have a couple of my absolute favorite things: quinoa and sweet potatoes. I’ve made these before, but never with quinoa added and I loved the extra texture it gave…plus the sweetness of the sweet potato was pretty great!

When I prep food at the beginning of the week it makes everything just go more smoothly and I feel so much more prepared. I guess “fail to plan, plan to fail” is actually true.

Getting ready to dig my hands into that mess. It's strangely therapeutic!

ingredients

1/4 c quinoa (or 1/2 c cooked quinoa)
1/2 c water
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
20 oz of ground turkey
1 carrot
1 pre cooked sweet potato, diced
2-3 stalks of kale, removed from stems and chopped into small pieces
1 tbsp tomato paste (didn’t have any so I just used a couple tbsp of ketchup)
1 tsp cayene pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

directions

1) Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2)Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3) Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and carrots; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; add the kale and cook for 1-2 minutes; remove from heat to cool.

4) In a big bowl, mix everything from step 3 with the Worcestershire, egg, salt, cayenne and black pepper in a large bowl until well combined…with your hands of course. The mixture will be very moist. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray and fill to overflowing (they will shrink down).

5) Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Makes about 12 muffins. I topped mine with Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce from Costco…go easy on this as there is quite a bit of sugar but you don’t need much! Another option would be to make a glaze from brown sugar, Worcestershire and water and put on top prior to baking.

Flax and Corn Meal Crusted Walleye

6/10/2013

Last night while I was finishing up my workout my dear chef of a husband whipped up some flax/corn meal crusted walleye with a dill sauce, roasted brussel sprouts and corn on the cob. Recipe for the walleye is below!

Ingredients

2 Walleye fillets – roughly 6-8 oz each
1/3 cup ground flax
1/4 cup corn meal
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Olive Oil (could also use coconut oil)
2 Tbsp Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 tsp lemon zest2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

1) Remove skin from walleye fillets an season with salt and pepper.

2) Prepare egg wash by whisking two eggs together and prepare breading by mixing ground flax seed and corn meal.

3) Dip fillets in egg wash then coat lightly in the “breading” mixture.

4) Heat up a large skillet with the olive oil until it begins to lightly smoke. Cook fillets approximately 5 minutes per side depending on thickness.

Preparing the Sauce
Mix together the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, garlic powder, and salt in a bowl.

Weekends Are the Best

6/10/2013

I always hate when weekends come to an end…not because I hate having to go back to my day job but because I just LOVE having the freedom to go to brunch, breweries, go on walks and just enjoy life! This last weekend started off on a pretty great note. My hubby surprised me with a date night – we went to a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try for a while (George & the Dragon in Msp), walked to the Lake Harriet bandshell to listen to a band that was playing and then walked to the Harriet Brasserie for a drink. It had been a while since we had done a “date night” so it was super special!

My parents were also in town so I hung out with them all day on Saturday. We went to brunch and then checked out three brewpubs/taprooms in Northeast Msp (612 Brewery, Dangerous Man and Indeed Brewing). Random side note: my hubby brews his own beer and has quite the stash at our house…maybe someday I’ll take a picture and share.

Last night while I was finishing up my workout my dear chef of a husband whipped up some flax/corn meal crusted walleye with a dill sauce, roasted brussel sprouts and corn on the cob. Click here for the recipe.

Flax and Corn Meal Crusted Walleye

Black Bean Brownies

6/7/2013

I was skeptical. I almost didn’t make them. How in the HECK could brownies made out of black beans be good?

Well…they were better than good. They were AMAZING. I loved them…I really don’t think I’ll ever go back to normal brownies!! I topped these with a little pb2 sauce but they really didn’t need it.

We took these over to my hubby’s brother’s house for dinner and I thought it’d be hilarious to play a trick on them and not tell them what they were made of. They know me so well though…before I could even dish them up they asked me what kind of vegetable was in them. Seriously…who do they think I am??! I told them there were no vegetables but they knew something was up. I didn’t care though because they LIKED them!!

Recipe courtesy of @angelamccafferty on IG. Thanks Angela!

ingredients

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (about 30g – I used Chocolate Shakeology)
1 – 15 oz can of black beans
1/4 c baking stevia (didn’t have any so I used turbinado)
1/4c cacao powder or cocoa
1/4 c melted coconut oil
1/4 c almond butter (I used Justin’s maple almond butter)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional – gives better texture I guess…but I didn’t use any and thought it was fine)
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1/4 c dark chocolate chips (optional)

directions

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Rinse beans off very well.

3) Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend well. You want the beans as smooth as possible.

4) Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes in an 8×8 pan sprayed with nonstick spray.

5) Store in the refrigerator.

Vegas

6/7/2013

I’m heading to Vegas in 2 weeks for Beachbody’s Coach Summit and I am so flippin’ excited. Coach Summit is basically the “annual meeting” for all Beachbody coaches so there will be lots of learning/training, amazing speakers (hello…John C Maxwell??!), networking with other coaches and a couple really fun parties to get dressed up for. One of them is a “white party” where everyone has to wear white. Now let me tell you, finding a white dress is a little harder than it might seem! I looked online and my mom and I even went to the Mall of America to try to find something! Nothing. Finally a friend of mine said “hey! I have a white dress you could borrow” so she brought it over and it fit perfectly. I never was a ruffle type of girl but I think I could be converted after wearing this dress.

All you fashionistas out there…I need to find some awesome arm candy because obviously I can’t wear a necklace. Hair up, right?? Nude shoes or something a bit more colorful?? I’m thinking if I did a lot of fun, colorful jewelry I’d need to go with nude heels but what do I know..that’s why I’m asking you for help!

Pardon the writing on my mirrors…It’s my way of remembering the truth of the bible every day!

AND last but not least…the types of clothes you’ll find me in most regularly. Thank you Old Navy for your awesome tanks and capris!!

Have a great day!!

A Few of My Favorite Things

6/6/2013

I just wanted it all…on one plate.

Literally everything on this plate are things that I LOVE and yes…it may seem strange but it DID go together very nicely! I had some leftover roasted sweet potatoes so I just roasted up some brussel sprouts. Once those were done I sauteed a handful of spinach in just a little olive oil…then in that same pan I cooked the eggs. Piled everything on top of each other with small dollops of pesto and chevre and then topped with an avocado.

I’m sure you want to see what it looks like after I killed the amazing yolks….right??

Don’t be jealous…just go make it.

On a completely unrelated note, I find myself wanting to go hard ALL THE TIME in my workouts but resting is hugely important…so that’s what I’m doing this week. I’m still doing small workouts like stretching (Les Mills Flow), abs (Les Mills Core) or Cardio Recovery (Insanity) because stretching them out and giving them some recovery time because they’ll perform even better in a few days! It’s nice to take a break, but I definitely miss the dripping sweat!!

Moral of the story…don’t skip your rest days. Your body will love you for it!!

Fluffy Coconut Pancakes

6/5/2013

Who doesn’t LOVE pancakes? I used to eat so many of these as a kid. I still love them but I really don’t love the bloated, full feeling you get from all the sugar and carbs….you know what I’m talking about. There are healthy alternatives out there and it’s been pretty fun to find them and try them out. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your box and try something new!

This is another one that I found on Instagram via @spoonfuloffit…and it’s spectacular. Go check out her website for some great recipes, workout routines and fitness inspiration: http://www.spoonfuloffit.com. AND just because I like to share what I love go check out @amandamclark on IG (http://clarkpharm.blogspot.com/). She has perfected these pancakes and done so many variations you won’t know what to do with yourself

Here’s the coconut flour that I bought off of Amazon a few months ago. It’s low in carbs, high in fiber and low in calories!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons coconut flour
3 egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon of non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract
pinch of salt
Stevia to taste Optional: unsweetened coconut flakes and chia seeds.

directions

1) Heat a pancake griddle or pan to medium heat
2) In a small bowl, add the coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and Stevia
3) Add the 3 egg whites, almond milk, vanilla and Greek yogurt to the dry ingredients
4) Mix up the batter really well. It will take a bit of stirring because the coconut flour has to soak up all the moist ingredients. It will be really thick…that’s ok. The thicker the better. You’ll want to cook on that side with the cover ON until the tops of set completely. Flip and cook for 15-20 seconds.
5) I like to cook them in a little coconut oil but you don’t have to!
6) ENJOY with REAL maple syrup!

Pesto Crusted Salmon

6/4/2013

This super easy salmon recipe was one of the first meals my hubby made for me when we first started dating….so it holds a special place in my heart We usually buy our salmon in bulk from Costco…I know, I know…it’s probably not wild caught. Get over it.

Basically it’s store bought pesto spread over a piece of salmon and baked at 425 for about 20-25 minutes.

The brussel sprouts are roasted at 425 for about 25 minutes as well. So the timing of it all works perfectly! With about 5 minutes left, throw a huge handful of spinach into a shallow sauce pan with some water to steam and put some pine nuts into a small pan to toast. Be careful with these…they’ll burn quickly!

Our absolute favorite way to cook pretty much any veggie is by roasting it. Just drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, roast as above and BAM….even the person that hates every type of veggie will like them. Promise!

Pumpkin Vanilla Protein Pancakes

6/3/2013

This pancake recipe has been a staple in my diet the last few months. I found it on @briana__sky’s Instagram page (which btw is AWESOME). She has so many great recipes and she just came out with an ebook with 40 recipes and a shopping list! Go check her out on http://www.shineorset.com.

And without further ado…here’s a lovely picture AND the recipe!!

ingredients

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
4 Tbsp canned pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 c egg whites or 1 egg
2 Tbsp almond milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
Cinnamon to taste

directions

1) We cook in our electric skillet at 350 degrees for roughly 4 minutes on each side.

2) Serve with some warm REAL maple syrup.

About Us

Dan and Laura Suedbeck have embraced an entrepreneurial lifestyle. They are constantly challenging the status quo and challenge others to do so too. They believe that you don't always have to change your situation, sometimes you just need to change the lens you view the world through. Their focus is helping people find purpose and passion with their lives all while getting healthy. Click here to find out more about them.

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